6 senior Mavs spill their secrets to surviving their last semesters

The first weeks back to school after a long break are unanimously some of the hardest weeks of the year. Well, except for finals. And midterms.

Okay, I’m starting to think college is just hard in general.

Anyway, we all have it pretty rough, but when the taste of sweet freedom is just a single semester away, I imagine that’s pretty difficult, too. Seniors finishing their last semesters of their undergraduate degrees this time of year are either sailing smoothly to the finish line or really kicking it into gear. They’re the experts on undergrad life, so that probably makes them the experts on time management and self care, too, right? That being said, I asked a handful of them to share with us their final survival tips to make it the rest of the year:

“This last semester for me is actually somewhat easy. I only have class on Monday and Wednesdays, so the rest of the days, I spend my time getting lesson plans and projects done early for Capstone and my flight instructor class. I’ve also been going to H&K a little bit more to play some basketball and to ease my mind a bit.” -Justin Bowers

Photo courtesy of Justin Bowers

“Taking a relaxation techniques class!” -Daylee Olson

Photo courtesy of Daylee Olson

“Every day is a new opportunity. I’m going to try not to get so stressed out this semester. I’m excited for life after college and finally having my degree is what is motivating to me.” -Elizabeth Yunker

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Yunker

“After the first week, I’m already seeing that this is going to be a long semester. However, I’ve made sure to be disciplined on a few things that will hopefully help me through! I wake up at 4:30 (even though work isn’t until 8:00) because I absolutely need that time in the morning to focus my mind on the day. I drink a class of water, pour a cup (or three) of coffee and then I do some light stretching just to wake up. Then, I make a big breakfast and sit down with my coffee and read my Bible for about 20 minutes, followed by some time spent in prayer. This is probably the most important aspect of my routine because if I skip it, I notice I go through the day worrying about everything and getting very anxious! So my morning routine is what keeps me sane.” -Elizabeth Bauman

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Bauman

“For me, it feels ike I was surviving the first semester rather than the second semester. I can see the finish line right now. Last semester, I knew I was a senior but graduation still felt ages away. But in terms of surviving now, I am just focusing week to week on what needs to be accomplished, and before I know it, I’ll be done with it all.” -Karl Harding

Photo courtesy of Karl Harding

“For my final semester (which I somehow managed to make my busiest and most stressful), I splurged on myself quite a bit by paying for a local service that makes and preps all my meals for the week and delivers them to my door every Monday, continuing to workout at Orange Theory 6 days a week to keep me sane, and I went to LUSH and bought my favorite face masks and bath bombs for the nights I want to cry.” -Kayleigh Oxford